Posts Tagged Chipotle

I can be very forgetful, its something I worry about occasionally but then I remember that I’ve been the same way for many years so I hope its more the sign of a busy brain rather than a declining one. Occasionally my forgetfulness can be a good thing, like when I made this soup. I wanted to make a butternut squash soup that was not as sweet as they often are so I decided to include chipotle powder to mine to add a hot smokiness. I went on to get the ingredients together and chopped my vegetables, including a red chili pepper. When preparing the soup as soon as I stirred the chipotle powder in, it occurred to me that I already had a chili pepper in the pan! When chopping that red chilli I had forgotten I was adding the chipotle despite the chipotle been the main reason I was making the soup! I stood staring at the pan but it was too late to do anything other than cross my fingers and hope my tongue would survive!

This is a hot soup, but I loved it! The smoky chipotle compliments the sweet butternut really well. If you don’t like food so hot, I wouldn’t add that extra chili pepper, just stick with the chipotle. However if you don’t mind some heat go for both! I found the soup somehow less hot the next day.

Butternut and Chili soup

ingredients

1 medium butternut squash, de seeded and cut into chunks

2 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, diced

1 stalk celery, diced

1/2 red chili

1/2 tsp chipotle powder

500 ml stock, vegetable or chicken

method

Put the chunks of butternut into a roasting tray and pour over 1 tbsp of the olive oil, stir so all the butternut gets coated in the oil. sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast in a preheated oven 200 C, 400 F, Gas 6 for around 40 minutes until the butternut is soft and the edged starting to brown.

Heat the other tbsp of olive oil in a large saucepan and sauté the onion, celery and chili pepper over a medium heat until the onion is translucent and beginning to soften.

Add the chipotle powder to the onion mixture and stir to combine.

Add the stock, mix well and simmer for 15 minutes until the celery is softened.

Add the roasted butternut squash to the pan

Pour the mix into a blender and blend until smooth.

Add salt to taste and more stock if you like the soup more runny.

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Coleslaw reminds me of summer, of barbecues and sunshine. As a child my favorite coleslaw was from Kentucky Fried Chicken, yes I grew up in those days where fast food was a regular part of our diet! When I came to England one could get coleslaw but the disappointing overall taste was of mayonnaise. For years I didn’t eat it, before it occurred to me that I could make my own coleslaw! I tried lots of recipes and finally found one on the internet that replicated the KFC taste, it was good but a rather long-winded recipe and as the only coleslaw eater in the house, too much just for me. I recently had lunch in the Mexican restaurant, Wahaca. Alongside my meal was some coleslaw, well it was the best coleslaw I’d had for ages! It had the usual cabbage etc but had a spicy, smoky taste. I have no idea what was in it but a day later I was trying to make it for myself at home! Here is my version, it’s fairly hot, with only a little mayonnaise which is lighter on the calories. The taste I recognized in the Wahaca coleslaw was the hot and smoky chipotle. I’m lucky enough to have some chipotle powder that I bought on holiday in Florida. In the UK you can get a chipotle paste made by Discovery. To get chipotle chilli powder you may have to shop online.

Using a food processor to slice the cabbage makes this come together really quickly. Although as its such a small amount it wouldn’t take very long to chop and grate by hand. A little red cabbage looks nice in this but for such a small portion I wouldn’t rush to buy 2 cabbages!

Chipotle Coleslaw (makes approx 3 servings)

1/2 a small White cabbage, thinly sliced

1 Carrot, grated

2 heaped tbsp Mayonnaise

2 tsp Cider vinegar

1/2 tsp Chipotle powder (if using paste use 1 tsp) this is quite hot, you may prefer to add less to taste

Pinch of salt

Add the cabbage and carrot to a large bowl.

Add the mayonnaise and vinegar, stirring well to coat all of the vegetables.Add the chipotle, stirring well to combine.

Add the Chipotle and salt, stirring well to combine.

Serve immediately or keep covered in the fridge, this will last for 2-3 days.